The "Head Diver in Egypt" spoke about the significant ambiguity surrounding the news of a microbus reportedly falling from a bridge known as "Kobri Al-Sahil" in the Imbaba area south of Cairo into the Nile River last Sunday afternoon, along with 14 passengers and the driver. In a segment on the "Al-Hadath Al-Youm" television channel last night, he stated that the incident is a "fankush," meaning it is fabricated or illusory.
Hisham Al-Shoubki also mentioned that divers were sent to the alleged accident site as per a report filed by a citizen at the police station, but no trace of the bus was found, asserting that it would not have been swept away by the water more than 100 meters. He called for accountability for the citizen who spread the rumor on social media, explaining that the alleged incident has been exploited by many anti-Egypt platforms and has instilled fear in the Egyptian public.
According to "Al-Masry Al-Youm" newspaper, they contacted several fishermen, vendors, and "tuk-tuk" drivers—three-wheeled vehicles used for transportation—who are usually present under the "Kobri Al-Sahil." All of them reported that no microbus had fallen into the river, particularly since they work in the area around the clock.
Witnesses who identified themselves as eyewitnesses reported that a tuk-tuk driver collided with the iron barrier of the bridge, but his vehicle did not fall into the river. He later called a pickup truck to transport his vehicle after the incident due to losing control of the steering.
Many indications suggest that the microbus accident did not occur at all; rather, the collapse of a section of the bridge's iron barrier into the river due to the tuk-tuk's crash was misrepresented as a microbus collision, leading many to believe the report and share it further on their social media platforms.
Media figure Amr Adib also returned on his show "Al-Hekaya" on "MBC Egypt" last night, stating that search teams have scoured the area in all directions, and it remains unclear what happened. He questioned how a microbus with 14 passengers could go missing without anyone inquiring about the missing individuals or the bus itself. He noted that the depth of the Nile is not significant and still no one can understand what is happening, as he recounted eyewitness reports claiming that a white object fell from the bridge into the Nile, causing a significant splash. He also mentioned that divers from the waterways have been engaged in search efforts since yesterday but found nothing, despite the water in that area not being deep, concluding that "the divers said the issue would turn out to be a fankush," meaning fabricated.
